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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114493">Once Bitten</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nagasha/pseuds/Nagasha'>Nagasha</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High (Dimension 20)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Anxiety Attacks, Because of the Abernant parents, Emotional Abuse, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Let Adaine be happy, Werewolves exist, With her wolf dad, i guess?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:21:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,452</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114493</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nagasha/pseuds/Nagasha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the beginning of Freshman Year, Adaine Abernant was bitten and became a werewolf. </p>
<p>Against all odds, this makes her life better than she could have possibly imagined.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adaine Abernant &amp; Anxiety, Adaine Abernant &amp; Jawbone O'Shaughnessey, Adaine Abernant &amp; The Bad Kids</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Once Bitten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adaine could feel it as the werewolf sank his teeth into her arm, and it hurt like nothing she’s ever felt before. It felt like liquid silver burning through her veins as it spread through her body until it wasn’t hers anymore, until it belonged to a feral creature. From where he bit, she can see white fur begin to grow, and then- </p>
<p>And then for the first time in her life, she felt <i> good. </i> It’s the inverse of her anxiety, this feeling that what she’s doing-what she is- is <i> good </i> and <i> right </i> and <i> natural. </i> There’s a fierceness to her that she never let out before, as she stalked her prey through this crowded bar. Before, everything was too loud, too many people, just too much, but as she lost herself to her lupine side, all of it melts away to meaningless noises and things to <i>hunt.</i></p>
<p>Quickly, she ripped the arm off of a zombie and clawed at a vampire, happy to cause hurt instead of being hurt, but then she smells blood- not from her prey, but from a friend! </p>
<p>Friend is hurt, is bleeding, nasty vampire standing over her to attack again. But Adaine is fast now, and strong, and she tackled the vampire so he can’t hurt her friend!</p>
<p>Friend looks down at her, smelling scared and confused but reaching out. “Adaine?”</p>
<p>Adaine pushed her muzzle against Friend’s hand, which started glowing pretty colors. She didn't hurt like she did before, because Friend did a healing on her, but Friend doesn’t look happy about it. “Adaine, I’m so sorry...”</p>
<p>Sorry? Why was Friend sorry? Adaine felt so good, so much better than when she was weak and scared. She leaned in closer to Friend, who recoiled at first, but reached out to hold her. </p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Kristen was still hugging Adaine when she changed back, and immediately was plunged into the depths of a panic attack.</p>
<p>Her life was over. For once in her life, she had <i> friends </i> and <i> a purpose </i> and now she was a werewolf and her parents would disown her and Aelwyn would laugh and all her friends would leave her and-</p>
<p>“C’mon kid, what are five things you can see?”</p>
<p>Adaine’s breath caught in her throat, but- she was raised to answer adults when they talked to her. “W-wall. Floor. Hair. Ch-chairs. Friends.”</p>
<p>Those were stupid answers, her parents wouldn’t like them, everybody could see the wall or the floor, and the way her hair was covering her face or the chairs being knocked over, or... or her friends standing around her protectively, keeping the man who turned her- oh god, she was turned, she was a werewolf now- at a distance. </p>
<p>They didn’t seem to care that she was a werewolf, but that’s because they didn’t know, they’ll find out, people always find out how much of a <i> fake </i> she is-</p>
<p>“Very good!” Why was he praising her? She didn’t deserve praise! She failed <i> failed failedfailedfailedfailurefailurefailure </i>- “What are four things you can touch, kiddo?”</p>
<p>“Floor-” Stupid, she already mentioned it, but not the sticky floormats she was kneeling on. “Rug. C-clothes… Kristen?”</p>
<p>Kristen was still hugging her, even considering what she was. Even tighter now, head pressed into Adaine’s shoulders, whispering apologies. Adaine realized belatedly- too slow, Aelwyn would have put it together already, <i> Aelwyn wouldn’t have been bitten </i>- that Kristen tried to cure her.</p>
<p>Adaine wanted to say it was okay, comfort Kristen like she deserves, but her stupid mouth wouldn’t work right, couldn’t form the right words. She just held onto her friend tighter, and hoped that she’d understand.</p>
<p>“You’re doing great! Now, can you tell me three things you can hear?”</p>
<p>“You.” Adaine flinched back, prepared to hear a litany of admonishment for her backtalk, but instead he just shrugged casually. Despite everything, she smiled at his reaction. “Music, loud. Heartbeat- heartbeats, from everybody.”</p>
<p>She could hear so much more than she used to, even with her elven ears. Adaine always heard her heartbeat pounding in her chest when she had her panic attacks, but now she could hear her friends’ hearts too, still beating faster from the adrenaline and the battle- and protecting her now. Everybody was bruised and bloody, but each and every one of them was prepared to fight if he took one step closer to her.</p>
<p>He didn’t, though. Instead, he kept his distance and kept his hands up in surrender... but between the fight, the help he was giving her- the help that she did <i><br/>
nothing </i> to deserve- and the fact that he looked like he was one wrong step into passing out- Adaine found that she wasn’t scared of him at all. In fact, looking at this sad man who ruined her life, the only feeling her exhausted heart could dredge up was pity.</p>
<p>“You’re looking better already,” he said with a sad smile. “How about you tell me two things you can smell?”</p>
<p>She can smell a lot of things, now. Spilled beer and blood and decay- but she doesn’t want to smell those things, not when there are better things around her. “Perfume. Cologne. Deodorant. Coffee. Corn shampoo.”</p>
<p>There was a spike of anxiety when she realized she mentioned more than two things, but that was stifled by the man’s barklike laugh and Gorgug ‘discreetly’ smelling his armpits to see if his deodorant was noticeable.</p>
<p>“Last thing, and I’ll go, I promise. What can you taste?”</p>
<p>“Blood.” It didn’t feel as bad as it did before, to admit it. Her mouth tasted like blood because she tore a vampire to pieces, but… she did it to protect her friend, and that was more important. “Why are you leaving? Why are you still here?”</p>
<p>He gave a full body wince, looking like a stiff wind could blow him over. “Isn’t it obvious? I didn’t- I bit you, kid! That kind of shit can ru- it can change your life!”</p>
<p>“Also, we may have threatened to shove Fig’s silver necklace so far down his throat his ass catches on fire,” Riz said, lowering his gun slightly. “In retrospect, that may have been overkill.”</p>
<p>“No it’s not!” Fig hissed, chain wrapped around her fist like makeshift brass knuckles. “He hurt you!”</p>
<p>Adaine’s flinch was mirrored by the werewolf’s, but she did her best to keep his gaze. He did hurt her, she can’t deny that, but… he also helped her get out of her panic attack, and that… nobody ever helped, before. Her parents dismissed it, her sister mocked her, but this man managed to help her in the midst of his own suffering.</p>
<p>“What’s your name?” Her friends looked at her like she was crazy- and she was, but not for this. </p>
<p>“Name’s Jawbone,” he said, shifting uncomfortably- maybe because of all the teenagers pointing weapons at him. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to- I’m real sick.”</p>
<p>“Then go see a doctor or something,” Fabian said, just as pompous as the nobles her father met. “I mean, I know that’s what poor people do when they get sick.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah? What do you do when you get sick?” Fig turned on Fabian, still full of pent up anger.</p>
<p>“I’m <i> rich, </i> the doctor comes to me.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have health insurance,” Jawbone interrupted the argument before it truly began. “And I don’t- I don’t have any money out of pocket-”</p>
<p>“Why don’t you apply for a job at Augefort?” Gorgug asked. “We need a guidance counselor.”</p>
<p>“So you want to invite the guy that just bit our friend?” Riz looked over at Gorgug. “You want him to work at a school full of kids.”</p>
<p>“This is- okay, first off I take precautions during the full moon so I don’t hurt anybody. What happened here was… it was bad, but-”</p>
<p>“This wasn’t his fault,” Adaine spoke up to defend Jawbone, if only because he honestly looked more upset about it than she was. “Nobody knew this would happen. And… for what it’s worth, I think you should apply.”</p>
<p>Her friends interrupted into chaos around her, as they usually did, but Jawbone was quick to quiet all of them, since “your friend’s ears are more sensitive now! Give her time to adjust.”</p>
<p>Then, even quieter, he asked, “do you really mean it?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” For the second time that night, all of Adaine’s anxiety faded away and she was suddenly sure of herself. “You would be a great guidance counselor.” </p>
<p>Jawbone smiled widely, her blood on his teeth, and despite everything, Adaine smiled back at him. She wasn’t sure what would happen when she left the bar, but for right now, she was surrounded by people who love her, and she’d fight the world to keep it that way.</p>
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